Top 5

This week, Ben has assumed the guise of the all-seeing-eye.

His omnipotence has assembled the following 'Top 5' list of his favourite corners of the creative industries.

enjoy.love

EXPATRIATEBAND.com


1. Planes - www.flightradar24.com
My favourite computer game as a kid was Flight Simulator. Boy-nerd I was. Apart from music, aviation is my greatest enjoyment and fascination.

I can spend much time, particularly late at night, clicking on different planes and observing where each of them have come from and where they're going to. I imagine what its like on board as they fly across the black-milk sky, who are the passengers and what are their life stories?

2. Wonders of the Solar System - http://bit.ly/9KAdeB
This recent BBC series is a true gem. You can just imagine the enrolment lines for next semesters astronomy class winding out the university gates.

In my mind, Brian Cox would make the best older brother - wise and cool. I'd watch this before going to bed and would fall asleep dreaming of the universe and my diminutive place in it.

3. Eating cake by yourself on Sundays (only) http://bit.ly/d5YwwM
Time alone is a good thing - at least for me it is. Spending it with a piece of cake, on a Sunday, is even better.

4. M.I.A Born Free: (Warning: the violence in this is extremely graphic) www.miauk.com
Like everyone who watches this I was shocked. But, I believe its a pertinent statement to make - especially, in this day and age of the 'Gaga' video-commercials. It's political, it's punk-rock and, while stylised, you can feel the pathos that both MIA and the director are trying to bring to the piece. The sad thing is, it's likely to cause more controversy than seeing images of the real thing. www.miauk.com


5. Richard Wright - http://bit.ly/5UvdsN
Most artists, in whatever domain, hope for their body of work to occupy the physical realm in some way for eternity. Be it on canvas, a brick wall, a gallery space, on a CD or in sculpture. A part of you lives on after you don't so your life's work can be hailed, denounced or whatever...

I'm fascinated by this British painter - not just because he won the Turner Prize for his abstract, wall-covering painting in gold leaf. Because, Wrights ethos regarding his work is the opposite from the one just described. He intends for his works to be temporary and, in fact, they should be destroyed after being exhibited. It's the viewers memory that is his intended vehicle for parking his life's work, so to speak. See this while you can at Tate Britain - before destruction reigns. I think its beautiful.

An electrocution or two, is trivial really...

Hello.

Hope you've all dined on rivers of chocolate over the last few weeks. Happy Belated Easter - if you celebrated it.

A brief update as follows and we hope it finds you well - wherever you are and whatever you're doing.

We're currently in Berlin and have been back here since February - we came home right after our brief but busy time in the UK. It should be said that time spent off the road can go one of two ways. You are productive or you aren't. Luckily, we fell into the former category. And so it is, we've been hard at work rebuilding a rehearsal/demo studio that we initially had in 2009 but broke it down to take all our gear on tour.

The studio that we've just built is a beauty and excels from our effort from last year. At heart, we are a bunch of nerds that enjoy wiring things together, despite our lacking in proper knowledge of what exactly we're wiring together. No matter - an electrocution or two is trivial really. Moving on. We completed the studio at the beginning of March and we've been in there just about every day - working hard on a long list of songs/demos/ideas for album number two! I can't tell you how much of relief it is to begin the process of working on album TWO.

We have uploaded some photos of the building and subsequent creation process, so come and take a look around the new space...

HERE

The way it works is thus: we have an A list and a B list. Holy shit - complicated right?!

As you can probably deduce, the songs on the A list are definitely headed for our next record. The songs on the B list have required work with the intention of - via a democratic vote - moving them onto the A list if they are worthy or throwing them out. Obviously, some fall by the wayside and others make it. Always, it's the unexpected ones that make it first round the bend before the more obvious choices.

Apart from that, Berlin life is treating us well. Today the weather was a sparkling 18C and, for those of you who've just stumbled through a harsh Euro-winter, I'm sure you can appreciate the smile each and everyone of us was wearing today.

We're coming back out on the road in the summer so look out for dates soon.

Take care everyone.

Ben. Cristo. Damian. Dave.

p.s we have put together a video of the jouirney from our home in Berlin to the new studio, come and watch it now:

http://www.vimeo.com/10954442